Mninga wood (Pterocarpus angolensis)

What mninga wood is

Mninga wood comes from Pterocarpus angolensis, a tree that PROTA records from Angola, DR Congo and Tanzania south to north-eastern South Africa. The PROTA entry for the species gives its Swahili names as mninga, mdamudamu and mtumbati, and its English trade names as muninga, kiaat, mukwa and African bloodwood. In Tanzania, PROTA says, it grows mainly in the moister parts of the wooded grassland of the coastal plains.

The heartwood is pale to dark brown or reddish brown, often streaked, and clearly set apart from the pale grey or yellowish sapwood. The grain runs straight to interlocked, with a medium to coarse texture.

Mninga wood properties

Two references give measured figures. PROTA reports ranges for the species; The Wood Database, compiled by Eric Meier, gives single average values.

Mninga wood properties

Property	PROTA	The Wood Database
Density	400–700 kg/m³ at 12% moisture	605 kg/m³ average, dried
Shrinkage	low	radial 1.7%, tangential 2.8%, volumetric 5.4%
Stability	very stable once dry	—
Janka hardness	—	6,050 N
Bending strength (modulus of rupture)	—	98.2 MPa
Stiffness (elastic modulus)	—	8.73 GPa
Crushing strength	—	55.3 MPa

PROTA adds that the wood dries well but slowly, without warping and with little tendency to check or split. Low shrinkage and stability are the properties that count for doors and frames, which have to stay square.

How durable mninga is

The two references describe durability in slightly different words. PROTA calls the heartwood moderately durable and moderately resistant to termites and marine borers. The Wood Database rates it durable to moderately durable, with good resistance to insect attack. Both apply to the heartwood only: PROTA warns that the sapwood is liable to powder-post beetle attack, so pale edges on a board are the part to cut away or avoid.

Where mninga is used

PROTA names furniture, parquet flooring and veneer, and adds that the wood’s flexibility, resistance and light weight make it useful for boats, doors and windows. Zanzibaba Timber, which sells mninga in Zanzibar, lists doors and frames, furniture, cabinetry, stairs and interior joinery on its mninga page. Our page on wooden doors compares mninga with mvule and mkangazi for door frames.

Mninga sizes in Zanzibar

The same seller lists three section sizes, all 8 ft long: 2 × 6 in, 2 × 8 in and 4 × 4 in. In metric that is about 51 × 152, 51 × 203 and 102 × 102 mm, 2.44 m long (our conversion of the nominal sizes; the planed size can be smaller). It publishes a price for each on its page. If you need another size, ask for the dimensions in millimetres and whether the piece is heartwood throughout.

Working mninga safely

PROTA describes mninga as easy to work with hand and machine tools, moderately blunting cutters, with good gluing and excellent turning and carving properties. The Wood Database adds that interlocked grain can tear out when planed, and that the dust has been reported to cause skin and respiratory irritation. A dust mask and sharp blades help on both counts.

Mninga and conservation

PROTA states that overexploitation endangers natural populations and that the current timber harvest is unsustainable; it records the species as lower risk on the IUCN list but close to qualifying as vulnerable. The Wood Database notes that it is not listed by CITES and is reported by the IUCN as near threatened. If you are buying mninga timber in quantity, ask the seller where it was cut.

What to check when you buy

1. That the timber is mninga heartwood, with no pale sapwood on the faces or edges.
2. The section size and length, written down, in millimetres or the inch and foot size the yard uses.
3. That the boards are dry; PROTA notes the wood dries slowly.
4. Straightness, since interlocked grain can hide twist.
5. Where the timber came from.

Kitovu does not sell timber. For other local wood, see boriti mangrove poles; Kitovu’s own stock in Zanzibar is building materials such as waterproofing and tiles.